11:08 Orban: NATO inches closer to war each week
NATO is almost constantly edging closer to war every week, says Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The plans of the military alliance to escalate their involvement in the war in Ukraine evoke thoughts of a firefighter battling a fire with a flamethrower for him. It's absurd, Orban remarks. If NATO were to intervene in Ukraine, it could potentially trigger a global conflict rather than protecting its member states. Orban has had good relations with the Russian government and has clashed with Western states over their support for Ukraine ever since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated yesterday at a gathering of the alliance's foreign ministers in Prague that it was time for members to consider reining in the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine.
10:51: German government authorizes Ukraine to target Russian military objectives with supplied weapons
The German government has granted permission for Ukraine to employ weapons provided by Germany against Russian military targets. This information was shared by DPA spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.
10:46: Zelenskyy's attendance at the Singapore security conference rumored
It's speculated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join a security conference in Singapore this weekend. Based on reports from six sources familiar with the situation, the focus of the event, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, will involve support for Ukraine among the principal topics of discussion. US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and China's Defense Minister Dong Jun are also taking part in the event. Zelenskyy intends to campaigns for Ukraine's involvement in its Switzerland-organized conference on finding ways to end the war. Zelenskyy alleges that Russia is hindering other countries from participating.
10:16: Chinesemfa: Fair and impartial
China calls for a peace conference with the active participation of both Russia and Ukraine. Spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning claims that these demands are both reasonable and neutral. She insisted that they weren't targeting any particular group. China had reportedly declined invitations to the Ukraine peace conference slated to take place in Switzerland mid-June. Switzerland had been involved in facilitating the conference since the beginning of the year, working with all parties concerned. "China places great importance on Switzerland's role as the first host to the Ukraine peace conference," Mao says.
10:04: Russian Defence Minister Beloussov: Retreat in Kharkiv region
Russian forces recorded a retreat of eight to nine kilometers by Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region in the north-east. In May, Russian military forces had taken possession of more than 28 settlements in Ukraine by seizing them. In the course of this year, the troops had gained a territory of approximately 880 square kilometers.
09:52: Energy facilities damaged in Kiev by Russian rocket attacks
During a Russian rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev, several energy plants were hit. According to energy provider DTEK, a power plant was destroyed, while the power grid in the Holosijiwskyi district suffered damage. Several private homes remained without power. The Russian forces struck with drones and ballistic ground-to-ground missiles of the Iskander type, as the Ukrainian Air Force disclosed.
09:28: Ukrainian General Staff: Kharkiv oil depot struck by Ukrainian forces
Ukrainian armies targeted an oil depot in the Russian Black Sea port of Kavkaz overnight. This message was shared by the Ukrainian General Staff. Eyewitnesses revealed explosions and a significant fire in the port of Kavkaz through social media, with various videos circulating online showcasing the attack. Supposedly, the depot was damaged by multiple Neptune missiles supplied by Ukraine. The extent of the damage is still unclear. Additionally, the Ukrainian forces attacked two ferries near the Kerch Bridge. The port of Kavkaz is situated on the island of Tuzla, close to the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, where Russia has established control.
08:54: NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg: No amplified risk from U.S. authorisation of Ukrainian assaults on Russian targets
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed any heightened risk of escalation following America's decision to approve Ukraine's limited military attacks on Russian targets. "Russia's actions are the escalation by attacking another country," asserts Stoltenberg during a NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Prague. Concurrently, Stoltenberg urged Germany and other countries to also sanction attacks on Russian targets with the weapons they had supplied. "Ukraine has the right to self-defense, which includes striking legitimate military targets in Russia," confirmed the Secretary-General. This is especially necessary, he emphasized, given the clashes in the Kharkiv region that touch upon the Russian border.
08:41: Ukrainian Defense: Four Shahed drones taken out in the night
The Ukrainian military has reportedly shot down four Russian Shahed attack drones and one Iskander cruise missile in various regions. This information was given by the Ukrainian Air Force's commander, Mykola Oleschtschuk, via Telegram. They announced that their air defense units and mobile artillery units had successfully downed the drones in the areas of Kiev, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk, while the Iskander missile was targeted in the Kiev region.
There has been a tragic development in Kharkiv as well. Following a Russian rocket attack on a residential building, the number of civilian casualties has increased to four, with another 25 being injured. The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, shared the update through Telegram, and the state news agency Ukrinform reported it. Syniehubov added that yet another body had been found in the wreckage, bringing the death toll to four.
The Russian side has been taking heavy casualties, as per the official figures released by the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. Within a single day, 1390 Russian soldiers are said to have been either killed or left unable to fight, taking the cumulative total to 507,650 soldiers "eliminated" since the beginning of the war in February 2022. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry shares these figures in their daily reports, which also note that 18 tanks (7728) have been lost and 10,500 drones are no longer under Russian command or destroyed.
In the Russian region of Krasnodar, two people have been reported injured in a Ukrainian air raid on an oil facility. The governor of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev, shared this news on Telegram, claiming that a fire had been started by falling debris from destroyed drones, and it was later extinguished. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that they had shot down five rockets and 29 drones in the early hours of the morning, with more drones having been brought down in the regions of Voronezh, Belgorod, and Tambov.
There have been reports of a series of explosions in the Russian-occupied Crimea. Many witnesses claim to have heard eight to ten explosions, with a fire at an oil depot in the port of Kertch. There are also reports of two ferries from Kertsch being hit by ATACMS missiles. The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff provided this information as well.
The American military has conducted an analysis of debris and confirmed that Russia is using North Korean rockets in Ukraine, as reported by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The statement reads, "The analysis confirms that Russia has used North Korean-made ballistic missiles in its war against Ukraine. North Korean missile debris has been found throughout Ukraine."
China's support for Russia has been identified as a potential threat to European security. The US government, along with G7 partners and other EU and NATO countries, believes that China's support for Russia not only endangers Ukraine but also jeopardizes European safety. The deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, Vedant Patel, spoke at a press conference, stating that the Chinese leadership's backing for Russia's war in Ukraine poses a danger to both Ukraine and European security. He warned that if China does not limit its support for Russia's arms industry, the US would consider implementing more sanctions.
A residential building in Kharkiv was struck by a rocket late at night, resulting in three civilian deaths and 16 other injuries. This was revealed by local authorities, who further reported that 20 residential buildings had been damaged by the attack. Images of the damage were shared by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrayinska Pravda.
The SPD politician, Nils Schmid, has expressed support for allowing the use of Western weapons against military targets in Russia by Ukraine. He believes this change should be decided collectively by NATO allies. Schmid, the foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, expressed his thoughts to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group.
00:06 Chancellor Scholz Rejects Sending German Troops to Ukraine, No-Fly ZoneChancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany asserts no intention to deploy German soldiers in Ukraine and partake in a no-fly zone. In a gathering with the Thuringian Allgemeine's readers in Erfurt, Scholz stated, "We don't want our soldiers to be involved," while also warning against the "reckless" proposition of a no-fly zone. He explained that such a measure involves engaging in warfare by shooting down airplanes belonging to another nation using one's own aircraft. To prevent war between NATO and Russia, the German Chancellor maintained that she is decisive on this matter. Similarly, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have echoed this stance.
22:25 Biden Allows Use of US Weapons in Russia, with RestrictionsAn insider disclosed that the US permits Ukraine to utilize US weapons against Russia. This is a new development in contrast to President Biden's previous stance, which denied Ukraine the usage of US weapons for any aggression within Russian territory. It's important to note that no alterations have occurred regarding the US's precondition for Ukraine to refrain from employing long-range rockets and other combat-related resources for strikes within Russia.
22:06 Ukrainian Storm Brigade Reports Fighting in VovchanskServing alongside other military personnel, the Liut Brigade, a law enforcement unit from the Ukrainian military, is currently defending the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv province. The unit shared a video allegedly showcasing combat within the city. According to the brigade, the footage portrays members of the Storm Regiment Tsunami dissuading Russian troops from taking over a building.
Find more updates here.
Read also:
- Orban expresses concern over NATO's escalating involvement in Ukraine, likening it to a firefighter fighting a fire with a flamethrower, potentially triggering a global conflict instead of protecting its member states.
- Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General, acknowledges that Russia's actions are the escalation, while urging members to consider reining in the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine to prevent further escalation.
- During the Singapore security conference, speculation arises about Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, joining the event to discuss support for Ukraine and criticize Russia's hindrance in allowing other countries to participate.
- In response to the escalating conflict, China calls for a peace conference with both Russia and Ukraine's active participation, stressing that the demands are both reasonable and neutral, aiming to find a solution without targeting any particular group.
